A fine romance
by viscomica
Summary: Sirius helps Severus to brew a potion for Lupin and they develope a somewhat complicated relation in the process.  Beta reader: rinny08   Sirius/Severus
1. Chapter 1

(_Special thanks to rinny08 for being a lovely beta and to Fred Astaire, for inspiring me)_

Chapter One

Sirius bit his pencil, looked down at the blank sheet of paper and bit the pencil again. He had tried to talk Remus into helping him with History of Magic, and failed miserably.

Moony has been trying to avoid him lately. Whenever James and Sirius were late for breakfast, Remus had already finished his, and if by chance they'd arrive earlier, then Remus skipped lunch. Just like that.

Even Peter was getting more attention from Remus than poor Sirius, and that was just depressing.

"Fancy a chess match?" asked James from one corner, trying hard not to look at Evans. Since the red-haired had totally busted him up (Muggle style), James started being more careful and of course, that meant all the time he usually dedicated to Lily had to be spent on somebody else.

Like Sirius, for instance.

"And just how chess is going to help me with my essay on the Goblin rebellions?" he asked nonchalantly, but his paper sat forgotten on the desk. A little voice ringing in the back of his head told him it was not a good idea, but, as usual, didn't insist too much.

It too wanted to play wizard's chess, as well.

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Dumbledore's desk was usually overflowing with happiness and a there's sort of a cozy feeling to it, like someone had baked a cake or more like Christmas arrived early this year.

None of that was anything like Severus Snape. Remus didn't look much better, he was sweating and it took him a great deal to look at Severus for more than a few seconds. He didn't realize Severus was still in shock.

Lupin's true nature had been revealed to Severus just a few weeks ago and since then he had not been able to sleep a wink. Naturally, Severus blamed Potter for what he saw near the Whomping Willow that dreadful night and, as far as he was concerned, the fact that Potter actually saved him did not compensate him to the least!

Dumbledore came in and warmly gazed at Fawkes.

"Ah, Severus, Remus, you're early! Well, I assume you both have an idea as to why I wanted to see you." Severus nodded rigidly and glared back at Remus, who seemed to shrink a little.

"Professor Dumbledore, I regret…" Remus began talking but Dumbledore just raised his hand and Remus understood it was not his turn to speak.

"There's hardly anything here to regret, just things to arrange. We cannot have a werewolf running freely every full moon, you see," Dumbledore stated, curling the tip of his very long beard.

Severus curved his lips; he was trying hard not to smile. Lupin, needless to say, was as white as a sheet of paper, or worse!

"That brings me to…" Severus could almost feel the sweet, sweet victory when Albus Dumbledore mercilessly pronounced, "to you, Severus."

"What?" Both Lupin and Severus asked at the same time. The conversation was beginning to move onto the bizarre side. As to be expected, Dumbledore had once again managed to take them by surprise.

"Oh, haven't I told you? Professor Slughorn couldn't be more pleased with your performance in Potions class. As far as I am concerned, I am very glad that it was you who found out about Mr Lupin." Albus' eyes were smiling from behind his half-moon spectacles.

Severus opened his mouth and then shut it, not entirely sure of what to say.

"You're our man, Severus."

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Potions class never seemed to go by fast enough, especially for Sirius, who besides having to put up with the paper balls being thrown at him by Avery and Rosier, had to keep Peter from cutting the ingredients the wrong way.

"Don't! Didn't I tell you before you have to cut them horizontally?" he whined, while taking a look at his potion. According to the book it should now have a healthy pink color. Fat chance, Sirius thought as the potion started to boil.

"But that's how I do it, Sirius…" muttered Peter in what looked like a moan. Sirius just swore under his breath.

"What are you saying, huh? You mean the book is giving you false instructions? Nonsense!" Sirius sulked but Peter continued cutting horizontally. The only two people who could actually brew a decent potion were absent: Remus was in Dumbledore's office and Lily had the flu.

James was even worse at potions than he was, so Slughorn decided he wasn't to be helped or to be given any outside advice so he could improve all by himself. Poor James was now sitting in the corner hoping his potion wouldn't explode or anything.

"Mister Potter!" Slughorn suddenly exclaimed, after having spared the whole class a hasty evacuation. He gave Potter's cauldron a sad and pitiful look and then he calmed down a bit, but only a bit.

"Oh, well, it's not that bad," he calmly stated and then he turned his very corpulent body toward Nott's cauldron, whose potion wasn't far from exploding either.

Sirius scanned the room. Somebody else was also missing, a certain greasy haired person who wouldn't have wasted two seconds in brewing his potion and leaving the rest of the class in ridicule.

He clicked his tongue. "What's the use in real life of a Draught of Living Death, right Peter?"

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It was almost seven and Severus was still in the library, doing something related to Potions and for the first time he absolutely hated it. Dumbledore had asked him the unthinkable: He had to brew Wolfsbane for Lupin!

Thinking about it made him break out into a cold sweat, mainly because of a certain unwanted memory of a certain full moon. Knowing he was the only person who actually knew the poor devil's problem (apart from at least two other useless characters we'll call S Black and James P for reference) he decided to borrow some ingredients from "Sluggy".

That represented no problem. What happened next did.

A draft passed right by the door and a head appeared from out of the blue and then the rest of the body. Whose body was it? None other's than Sirius Black's. Severus hid behind his book.

"What a shocker! Severus Snape hiding his greasy nose behind a book about… what is it about this time Snivellus?" Sirius was grinning from ear to ear.

In all honesty, attacks against his persona were becoming fewer and fewer and less violent by the minute, but Snape was still not letting his guard down. He decided, however, to leave his book down.

"Werewolves," he answered slowly, careful not to slur his words.

Sirius mood changed, and he started kicking the air. "Do you not get it? You almost died for your goddamn curiosity and…"

"Dumbledore wants me to brew some Wolfsbane for Lupin," Severus went on practically ignoring Black's chatter. He raised his book again. "I see neither Potter nor Lupin is here with you, not even Pettigrew!"

"What do you mean?" Sirius protested, taking out his wand, and yet Snape did not move one inch from where he was. This usually got on Sirius' nerves. Even in the direst situations Severus Snape's face remained the same.

"If you wanted to pull a prank on me, Potter and Pettigrew wouldn't miss it, and if you're looking for Lupin he left hours ago. Now go away." Snape hissed, finally losing his cool.

But Sirius didn't go away. He only got nearer and sat down next to Severus. It was the most civilized conversation they'd had in years.

"Why won't you just go?" he growled, pursing his lips, but Black just glanced at the book suspiciously.

"Why would Dumbledore ask _you_ of all people to do it?" he asked. Severus took a quick but wary look at Black's wand and answered as truthfully as he could.

"Because, you bunch of dunderheads know nothing about potions and I do." And that was that. He decided it was time to run off but Sirius grabbed his arm.

"But you hate us," Sirius said, surprised. Snape, however, was aware something like this could happen. Sighing he swirled his wand and the book levitated to its shelf. Then Severus walked right toward the exit.

Dumbledore had said nothing of the sort, but Severus suspected if he didn't brew the potion as he was asked to, both he and Lupin could end up in trouble, possibly even expelled.

Before he could step out of the library, Severus was hit by a jelly-legs jinx and he slipped. During the next few days Severus tried to convince himself he'd probably had a hallucination, but the shadow which passed right by him seemed to have whispered a muffled: "thank you."

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_"You never give the orchids I sent a glance, no! You like cactus plants... This is a fine romance!_" Fred Astaire.


	2. Chapter 2

_Hello! I was feeling a little discouraged by the few reviews but, oh well, that's life for you! So I just decided to upload another chapter, 'coz I'm just too happy with this story. Again, thanks to rinny08 for putting up with me and being the best beta anyone could ask for. Oh! And thanks to everyone who reviewed and added this story to their favorite or story alert lists. _

Chapter Two

James had stopped paying attention by the time Lily came into the common room and only switched back when Sirius clicked his fingers right in front of his (now annoyed) face.

"Hello?" Sirius asked mockingly, "Are you listening to me, or what?"

James snorted. Sirius'd been going at it over and over, telling him the same story for over three days: Snape and something about brewing Wolfsbane for Remus.

The first time was right during breakfast a few days ago.

Peter was reaching for the last piece of lemon pie when Sirius punched the table completely out of the blue and the pie ended up in James' face.

"What's the matter with you?" James asked feeling kind of sorry for himself and at the same time cursing gravity, Murphy's law and whatnot.

"Nothing," Sirius halfheartedly apologized, but right after that he hit the table yet again. This time he knocked over a jar and all its contents splashed on newly arrived Lupin, staining his robes.

Sirius muffled a scream: Was Remus really forgiving him after all?

To his silent question, Remus only shook his head and sat next to Peter. (After having taken care of the robe that is)

"Well, that's quite alright you two!" James whined, still pissed because of the pie incident.

"Why did you go to Dumbledore's office?" Peter broke in, hastily changing subject.

Remus offered the three of them a lopsided grin, "I can stay at Hogwarts, but they'll have to brew Wolfsbane so that it is possible…"

James frowned.

After all it was a very hard thing to do! It was possible that not even Slughorn could brew it properly!

"But who could possibly brew it?" Peter asked in a sigh and before James could scowl him for it, a most curious event happened.

"Severus Snape!" Remus and Sirius answered at the same time, and then eyed each other with wide eyes.

At that precise moment Severus Snape himself coughed from his table, not knowing he was the subject of debate.

Since then the Marauders have spoken of nothing else.

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Defense Against the Dark Arts was Severus' favorite subject of all. Everybody knew that. You'd just have to watch how his eyes twinkled every time someone talked about curses and counter-curses.

What the world was yet to know was that Severus had come up with some spells of his own.

After Sirius (that Black!) had discovered how to use his spell "levicorpus" and used it to, well, leave him in ridicule, Severus came up with a nearly lethal curse.

_Sectumsempra._

He'd never ever cast it against anyone. Actually no one, not even Black, deserved it.

No, it wasn't that what worried him. For some time now, Black had been acting really strange.

"Everybody pair up for team work!" McGonagall growled, rubbing her temples. Since there wasn't a proper teacher to cover D.A.D.A she had to teach both Transformations and D.A.D.A. Needless to say, she was a nervous wreck.

Severus scanned the room. Avery and Rosier had already teamed up and were focused on trying to cast non-verbal spells against each other. A little farther to the left stood Lily Evans, hanging with a Gryffindor ginger.

"Hey," he heard someone behind him say. Let it not be Black, he thought, let it not be Black. Then he turned around and of course it was Sirius bloody Black, in the flesh.

"What do you want?" he protested, crossing his arms against his chest. Black twisted his grin and pointed at Lupin, who was trying to help Pettigrew still with zero results.

Severus furrowed his brows. Well, wasn't that a strange combination! It wouldn't have surprised him to see Black and Lupin working together, though.

"James is over there, look, he's trying to make Lily notice him," Sirius mumbled while shaking his head. Severus wanted to laugh (he didn't, of course)

James was left with no choice but to pair up with Longbottom and they weren't doing very well.

"Ouch!" James squeaked when almost hit by a stunning spell. Longbottom just looked at his wand as if it had done it all by itself.

"I said no talking Longbottom!" McGonagall shouted.

"It's still quite suspicious. I mean, a mighty Black, pairing up with a commoner like me? To what do I owe the honor?" Severus hissed, aiming at Black with his wand.

"First, put down that thing, yeah? It's making me nervous!" Sirius retorted, finally losing his cool.

"No, if you wanna talk, then talk," Severus ranted, not lowering his wand. Sirius didn't stay beside and took his wand out of his pocket right away.

"You're unbelievable!"

Sirius was hit by a spell and his whole body hit the wall opposite to where he was standing before. Severus seemed to be really good at casting non-verbal spells.

McGonagall ran to where Sirius was and helped him to get up. Well, that was just what she needed! She glared daggers at both of the boys and then returned to her seat in front of the class.

"What was that? Were you trying to kill me?" Sirius nearly shouted while proceeding to rub his shoulders one at a time. Severus shot him a quizzical smile.

"I call it _practicing_. That's what it was," he claimed at the same time he aimed his wand at Sirius again. Only that this time things didn't turn out as he thought and Sirius snatched his wand before he could do anything.

"Give it back!" he demanded, looking at McGonagall out of the corner of his eye, just in case. Sirius hid the stolen wand in his robe and shook his head.

"No, and just let me finish, will you?" Sirius said, pushing his hair out of eyes. Severus watched him as he ran his fingers through his black hair and felt envious.

"Spit it out!"

"Let me help you brew the potion for Lupin," asked Sirius, staring at him. Severus turned into cold stone.

"Why?" he asked as calmly as he could. Sirius started playing with his hair yet again and when he stopped, he clicked his tongue.

"Remus wants me to thank you in his behalf, so I figured…" Sirius trailed off.

"You mush-for-brains, don't I feel sorry for you?" said Snape, somehow getting his wand back. He immediately left it in his pocket and turned towards the exit.

"Snape! Come back right now!" McGonagall screamed running in the same direction, but when she took a look outside she couldn't find Severus anywhere. So, frowning, she returned to the classroom.

Remus turned his head, trying to find Sirius, but he too was gone.

·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·

Sirius left the classroom. After McGonagall stopped searching for Severus in the hallway, Sirius took out his wand and went near the staircase.

"Get up," he asked, spotting Severus against the wall. He thought it was a little strange McGonagall hadn't seen him, but he figured the odds were Severus wouldn't have minded about it one bit.

Severus sat up as with as much dignity as he could gather.

"What's your problem?" Sirius murmured, pointing at him with his wand. Severus slowly got away from the wall.

"You wanted to make up with Lupin! I should have known, after all, you're never that nice with anyone you like, why would you be nice to me?" Severus snapped. "Why would you be nice to me? Snivellus! The greasy Snivellus!" he shouted like a mad man.

Oh, but Sirius have had enough of it already. He pushed Severus against the wall.

"What did you want, huh? A kiss? A bloody kiss?" Sirius asked, shaking Snape by the shoulders, "well, there!"

He kissed him, and that was that.

Sirius couldn't find a reason as to why he'd done it, but it didn't stop him. Maybe it was one of those things you just do.

It was a kiss full of rage and strange raw feelings.

But it was a kiss, nonetheless.

·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·

_There's nothing in this world so sweet as love. And next to love the sweetest thing is hate._ (**Henry Wadsworth Longfellow)**


	3. Chapter 3

_Sorry for taking so long to update! Thanks to rinny08 for betaing this chapter and putting up with me. __Just FYI: there's some serious use of the levicorpus spell in this chapter!_

Chapter three

"Well?" Sirius let go of Severus. He had acted in the spur of the moment, never considering what would happen next. A little voice in the back of his head was screaming "_run off!"_

Severus's face had turned bright red, as if his face was burning. Suddenly he lifted his right hand and it looked like he was about to caress Sirius. Needless to say, Sirius felt like he had been turned to stone.

Just when his hand was halfway through, like a sudden realization, Severus took impulse and slapped Sirius with all his might. Sirius, still in shock, fell to the floor. He lifted his middle finger and leaded it to his lips: he was bleeding.

"I really hope you drop dead, Sirius Black!" howled Severus at the top of his lungs, then he turned around and ran away so fast it almost looked like he had vanished in thin air.

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Remus hadn't seen Sirius for a few weeks and even though he was still pretty pissed, he's never ever been able to keep being mad at Sirius for more than a couple of days.

Besides, James told him Sirius had real intentions of helping Severus brew Wolfsbane for him. The idea itself was ridiculous, really, but Remus could care less about it.

When he went into potions classroom, expecting to find Severus, he found him going through Slughorn's ingredients. At that precise moment he was smelling a vital ingredient in order to brew Veritaserum and wrinkling his nose as if he'd found something really nasty.

"Why would that old sod keep so many ingredients in bad state?" he asked to no one in particular.

"Beats me," Remus answered. Severus turned round abruptly and almost fell off the bench he had climbed to in order to reach the ingredients

"For Merlin's sake, what do you think you are doing?" Severus burst out taking good care not to fall off this time. A little awkwardly, he jumped off the bench and then he adjusted his clothes.

"I just wanted to thank you," Remus answered, feeling a little bit uncomfortable all of a sudden.

"I don't need you thank you, Lupin. Now go away," Severus retorted, unable to keep from blushing. Even if being thanked at wasn't unpleasant at all, he wasn't used to it, honestly.

People usually wouldn't give a toss about him, and so he'd long ago decided to ignore the world around him. To that he was very used to.

"Have you seen Sirius? I think he was here just a few seconds ago, or maybe not…" Remus asked kind of innocently. Severus coughed so loudly the small bottle he was holding almost crashed onto the floor.

Remus snickered. Not every day you get the chance to see Severus Snape like that.

"Can't you take a hint? Just leave already!" Severus hissed, trying hard to fight his anxiety. "Why would I know where Black is? I don't know where on earth he might be!" he said turning around. Remus was no longer there and he was still thinking about Sirius Black.

That wasn't cool. That wasn't cool whatsoever.

·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·

Sirius hasn't been able to focus on Quidditch practices lately and that was really getting to him. Not to mention James' attitude, since he always took it upon himself to make sure the team made it to the finals.

"I just don't get it!" he growled getting off the broom. James shot him a dirty look. Sirius simply shook it off, since he'd been able to deal with Remus and they were finally on speaking terms. He wasn't about to ruin his mood just because James was throwing a fit.

After all, James got mad more often than Remus. And usually, when he got mad it wasn't about anything important.

"What's your problem?" Sirius blurted out right after James's hit his head.

Somehow Sirius couldn't stop thinking about Severus Snape. Yup, greasy ol' Snivellus, that Severus Snape. Was there any other?

"I don't have a problem, but do you? What do you think you're doing? You just hit Lizzy with the Bludger and you almost hit me too. Have you lost your marbles or what?" James finally flipped out, storming out of the field.

Sirius tried to reach him, but once he got to the entrance hall, Sirius noticed Severus Snape just on what it seemed to be his way out of the potions classroom, he soon was followed by Remus.

Sirius frowned.

James wasn't so far ahead so he saw it all. He immediately folded his arms. "Well, you have some explaining to do…" he started off but of course was interrupted by Peter (who had appeared from out of the blue).

"Hey, how was practice today? People are pretty anxious about the match against Slytherin… Even Lily asked me if…"

"Did she mention me?" James murmured in a somewhat muffled sound that came out of his mouth.

And now, Sirius was safe.

·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·

It's been a week since, well since… "that".

Severus had decided not to refer directly to what happened to him after Defence Against the Dark Arts that day, in a way it was a far better use of his time to concentrate on other things.

Like the book he was now reading, for instance. He'd borrowed it from the library; it was about antidotes. Slughorn was not supposed to talk to them about said antidotes until November.

The day Severus finally got a grasp on that book, hidden in a shelf near the forbidden part of the library. Then, he heard some familiar voices.

"So Slytherin is playing against Gryffindor tomorrow?"

"Yup, they say the new Gryffindor beater is really good…"

"We'll see about that…" was the muffled response.

Severus recognized the voices of Evan Rosier and Regulus Black. Judging by the tone of Regulus' voice he could tell they were talking about the one and only Sirius Black, which made him shiver.

He shook off that feeling and went over the chapter about antidotes for love potions.

That day he had decided to take that book from the library but now it seemed like it hasn't been one of his greatest ideas. In all reality, he couldn't get past the first chapter. He even knew it by heart.

Severus sighed heavily and gave up on reading reading. Suddenly two boys (they looked like first years) entered the common room. They were carrying Slytherin-coloured pennants.

"_So today was the match…_" Severus thought. One of the two boys, the taller one, whistled.

"Wow, now that was a fine match!" Severus just shrugged. He never really cared for Quidditch, but anything that could possibly make Black mad was just okay with him.

"Totally," his mate answered, lounging in one of the common room armchairs, one that was pretty close to Severus. "In the end, he shouldn't have worried about Black… he fell off his broom in the middle of the game!"

"_Serves him well…He could just go ahead and die as well, see if I care!"_ Severus said to himself.

"That should have sent him directly to the infirmary, right? I…. Ahhh!" the one left standing was, well, let's just say he was no longer on the floor but more like… dangling upside-down, just as if he'd been hoisted into the air.

Severus left the common room. Just when he was leaving he heard a thud as if someone had just hit the floor.

·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·:·

Sirius was lying on a bed in the infirmary when Severus got there. Severus was panting, he sure had been running. Sirius never even thought of witnessing a sweaty, heavily-breathing Severus Snape.

"It was your entire fault! The minute you were taken to the infirmary odds turned against us…" James abruptly stopped talking as soon as he spotted Severus.

He elbowed Peter, who was jittery for a change.

"Let's go," James ushered him away. He actually dragged Peter out of the infirmary, while Peter could only babble nonsense. James casted a strange look in Severus direction, then he nodded. It was bizarre.

It was an all-knowing gesture, as if he wanted to say "_you can talk to Sirius now_". To Severus this was kind of shocker (to say the least).

"Did you tell him anything?" Severus asked him, reaching his bed. Sirius shrugged and then twisted his smile (it looked like he had a dislocated shoulder).

"No, not at all…" he muttered and then he furiously blushed. Severus tried to balance his weight from one foot to the other. Finally, he decided it was okay to sit on the edge of the bed.

"Well, this isn't awkward at all," Sirius chuckled. He positioned his good arm behind his head. Severus looked casually to the side, trying to avoid direct eye contact.

"Why isn't Lupin here?" Sirius' twisted his gesture (this time it had nothing to do with his shoulder).

"Why? Is he your new best friend? Who knew you two could get over the little werewolf thing going on…" Oh, Sirius did not look happy at all. Not one bit. Was this jealousy?

Who knew? It was such an unimportant matter it shouldn't be mentioned at all, he should be more worried about the possibilities of losing the house cup. He just wasn't.

"Yeah, pretty much."

Severus' obvious sarcasm was so annoying. He wanted him to finally lose his cool, to flip out like never before.

Sirius' hands caressed Severus' face and then… well, then they kissed again. Sirius bit Severus' lower lip until it started to bleed. Severus bit Sirius back. They started biting one another back and forth.

Sirius got what he wanted and more.

"What the…? Have you gone absolutely mental?" Severus whined, despite having engaged in some disturbing activities himself. (Really, he was just so confused.)

"Maybe I have…" Sirius' answer was a mostly truthful one.

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_Dogs love their friends and bite their enemies, quite unlike people, who always have to mix love and hate._ Sigmund Freud.

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End file.
